My 2012 Big Year

Friday, 3 August 2012

Arizona Birding Adventure Wrap Up

... Now where was I?

Right, finishing off in Arizona, prior to setting off for St. Louis. I tell you, with all the travel and long days and late nights, finding time to write is sometimes a challenge. So back to Arizona, where we drove up to Rose Canyon and enjoyed god looks at Greater Pewee, along with Olive, Grace's and Red-faced Warblers. This was an amazing day because it never took longer than 5 minutes to find each bird. And they say summer birding is slow. Not in Arizona!

We then continued up the mountain, which eventually takes you to 9200 feet above sea level, where Hepatic Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, Cordilleran and Buff-breasted Flycatchers and a Western Bluebird greeted us with open wings and chirpy hellos. We finished with a picnic at the very top, where we had an appetizer of Bushtit and Virginia's Warbler, a main course of Band-tailed Pigeon,(they were tough), and a Steller's Jay for dessert.

Once again, Arizona proved to be a great place to bird, even in the heat of summer and there are still more birds to find there. I saw over 50 species on the trip and added 31 new year birds, bumping my total to 483.